Congress rejects UN report on Kashmir
New Delhi, June 14: The Congress on Thursday supported the government's stand in dismissing the UN report on Human Rights in Kashmir, saying the report was "prepared with zero understanding of situation in Jammu and Kashmir".
The party also said the "it condemned this kind of report and is completely uncalled for."
"Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inseparable part of India. We reject UN Human Rights Report as a prejudiced attempt by vested interests to hurt India's sovereignity and national interests," said party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Twitter.
"Congress party supports the government's stand in dismissing the report," he said.
"UNHRC prepared this report remotely with zero understanding of situation in J&K.
"How does the report justify terrorism by self-styled militants of JeM and Hizbul Mujahideen? Should the UN overlook the state sponsored terrorism being exported on Indian soil by Pakistan?" he asked.
Former Union Minister Rajeev Shukla said: "As far as this UN report on Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, I think this report has been released without getting into the details of the situation in the state."
"I don't think any UN team has visited there. This kind of report will always encourage the terrorists groups. Whatever reaction government of India has given on this, Congress party supports that because we consider these groups as terrorists.
"They cannot be called militant groups or fighting espousing their own cause and their own struggle. We condemn this kind of report and is completely uncalled for."
Shukla, however, said the situation in J&K is grave as the soldiers are dying on the borders everyday due to cross-border terrorism.
He also said the Central and state government are not able to manage the situation in the state and this is a matter of concern.
India on Thursday rejected as "fallacious, tendentious and motivated" the first ever report on human rights in Kashmir released by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees.
The 49-page report "details human rights violations and abuses on both sides of the Line of Control, and highlights a situation of chronic impunity for violations committed by security forces".
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SC directs President's secretary to place before her Beant assassination convict's mercy plea
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday directed President Droupadi Murmu's secretary to place before her the mercy petition of death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted in the 1995 assassination case of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, for consideration.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai, P K Mishra and K V Viswanathan requested the President to consider the plea within two weeks.
"Inspite of the matter being specifically kept today none appeared for Union of India. The bench assembled only for this case," the bench said.
"On the last date the matter was adjourned to enable the Union to take instructions from the office of the President as to by when will mercy plea be decided. Taking into consideration that the petitioner is on a death row, we direct the secretary to the President of India to place the matter before the President with a request to consider the same within two weeks from today," the bench said.
The matter will now be heard on December 5.
On September 25, the top court had sought responses from the Centre, the Punjab government and the administration of the Union Territory of Chandigarh on Rajoana's plea.
The then Punjab chief minister and 16 others were killed in a blast at the entrance of the civil secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995.
A special court sentenced Rajoana to death in July 2007.
Rajoana has said that a mercy petition under Article 72 of the Constitution was moved by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on his behalf in March 2012.
On May 3 last year, the apex court had refused to commute his death sentence and said the competent authority could deal with his mercy plea.
